


Kiss Me, Not Him!

by yukjaem



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: #nohomo, Crack, Fluff, Lots of little kisses, M/M, Soft Jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-01 14:05:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11487909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukjaem/pseuds/yukjaem
Summary: The four times Taeyong kisses someone else besides Jaehyun + the one time he doesn't.(Or the four times Jaehyun gets jealous + the one time he doesn't)+a bonus, Taeyong gets jealous, chapter.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, after a year-long hiatus, I've decided to start writing fanfics again. (I had a sugakookie fic planned out, and I was going to write that instead, but... this crack fic showed up in the middle of nowhere)... (I'm still planning to write that sugakookie fic, if you care about that.)
> 
> I'm sorry.

  1. Mark



170616

Taeyong suddenly has the urge to kiss anybody, anywhere. His gaze falls on Mark, his cute dongsaeng who’s growing at an alarmingly fast rate, and he leans over to peck him on the cheek. Mark shrinks away, surprised, then scandalized when Taeyong doesn’t relent. He leans over again, quickly, but Mark pulls away, and the moment is gone.

 

The others laugh it off, Donghyuck with a mischievous smile and Jaehyun -- Taeyong dares to sneak a glance at the former -- with a fond shake of his head.

 

Later, in the dorm, all the boys pile up in the living room, sprawled on random pieces of furniture and exhausted from another day’s worth of work. They’ve been relentlessly performing their hearts out. Taeyong can’t fathom how hard it must be for Mark and Donghyuck to promote so soon after NCT Dream’s promotions.

 

He carefully watches Mark heave into a seat beside Donghyuck, who’s sitting across from Taeyong and Jaehyun. Neither of them appears too tired. It's amazing how strong youth are these days.

 

“Taeyong-hyung,” Mark complains, punching Donghyuck's shoulder when he's obviously being made fun of. “Why did you try to kiss me without telling me first?”

 

Taeyong shrugs. “Would you have allowed me to?” he asks, well aware of the fact that, no, Mark wouldn’t have.

 

Mark confirms his suspicions by shaking his head vehemently. “No, especially not on live television, man.”

 

Youngho, despite having supposedly dropped dead on the floor a couple of minutes ago, lifts his head.

 

“Aw, Mark’s growing up,” he coos, disgustingly sweet. “Remember the time he used to obey our orders no matter what?”

 

“Like giving us a peck on the cheek?” Taeyong sighs at the memory.

 

“You guys sound like old perverts,” Dongyoung pipes up.

 

He ignores Dongyoung's unnecessary comment, and without expecting anything in response, he adds, “Mark, come on, give me a kiss.”

 

Then he sinks back into Jaehyun’s chest. Taeyong can hear his steady heartbeats, his deep breaths, and he can’t help but snuggle even closer to the younger. He closes his eyes, letting Jaehyun’s deft fingers card through his hair. The routine is familiar and comforting; Taeyong allows himself to edge into the realm of dreams, of dimpled smiles and soft touches, twinkling laughter and slow dances.

 

Someone kisses him on the cheek.

 

Taeyong languidly opens an eye, blinking at the blurry face before him. After a few more blinks, his vision immediately clears. It's Jaehyun. His lips are slightly downturned at the corners, and Taeyong can’t think of a reason why he would look so unhappy.

 

“Did you kiss…” Taeyong asks, trailing off when Jaehyun shakes his head and sticks his chin out to the center of the living room.

 

Unhurriedly, he turns his head to see Mark awkwardly shifting his feet from side to side. He must have backed away after the kiss and is now way beyond Taeyong's reach.

 

“Goodnight, hyung,” Mark mutters. “Take good care of your health, okay?”

 

Taeyong doesn’t have the time to respond before Donghyuck suddenly stands up and grabs Mark’s hand -- rather possessively, if Taeyong might add.

 

“Goodnight, hyungs,” Donghyuck chirps loudly. “Mark and I are going to our room to sleep. Right, roomie?”

 

Mark blinks, nods, and is dragged away by an overly enthusiastic Donghyuck. Taeyong thinks he knows what’s going on over there.

 

“Goodnight,” he calls out, a beat too late. They're already in the bathroom, doing who knows what.

 

He glances up at Jaehyun again. Any traces of his previous not-so-happy expression are gone and is replaced with his classic dimpled smile. Taeyong’s heart flutters against his ribcage; he’ll never get used to being the recipient of Jaehyun’s smiles. He reaches out, gently pinching the back of Jaehyun’s neck.

 

“Jaehyunnie?” he says softly.

 

Jaehyun doesn’t say a word. Instead, he leans forward, closer and closer until his lips are a mere millimetre apart from Taeyong’s forehead. Taeyong doesn’t move, and Jaehyun inhales through his nose. He breathes out, letting a gush of air woosh through his parted lips. Goosebumps trail up Taeyong's arms, and he shivers.

 

“Jaehyunnie,” Taeyong repeats, tilting his head up. This isn’t a big deal. This is Normal. Perfectly Normal.

 

He waits for him to kiss him on the forehead.

 

To his disappointment, Jaehyun pulls away with a light-hearted groan. His fingers resume to card through Taeyong’s hair.

 

“Good night.”

 

His eyes dart away from Taeyong's questioning stare, then back at him again.

 

“Hyung,” Taeyong encourages. “Call me hyung.”

 

“Go to sleep, Taeyongie.”

 

From the ground, Youngho snorts in amusement.

 

 

  1. Sicheng



171214

It’s a disreputable fact that Dong Sicheng is cute. He’s like a lost puppy that everyone can’t help but fawn over. Taeyong finds himself taking his role as the leader very seriously when he’s around. And it’s not like Taeyong doesn't take his role as the leader seriously -- because he _does_ \-- it's just that Sicheng always manages to bring out his maternal instincts. Instincts that Taeyong didn't think had existed.

 

“Why are you shivering?” Taeyong asks, hovering around Sicheng like a ‘nagging hen’ as Yuta likes to put it.

 

“It’s cold,” Sicheng replies in a deadpan.

 

“So why aren’t you wearing a jacket?!”

 

Sicheng shrugs in an easygoing manner. He tries to distract Taeyong with his cute puppy eyes, but Taeyong knows better than to fall for that.

 

“Sicheng,” Taeyong warns.

 

“It’s cold but _I’m_ not cold.”

 

Taeyong stares at the boy. “That doesn’t even make sense,” he says with a raised brow.

 

“I said, _I’m_ not cold.”

 

Then he sneezes.

 

When Taeyong imagines Sicheng sneezing, he imagines a sneeze that will sound like a mewling kitten. It’ll be the kind of sneeze that his female cousin or his mother makes, the kind of sneeze that people either go, ‘aw’ or ‘ew’ at.

 

Sicheng doesn’t sneeze delicately like a kitten or a flower. Instead, his sneeze is loud; it's the kind of sneeze that scares the birds away and breaks the foundations of the earth, and not to be sexist, but it’s the kind of sneeze that his father makes to scare the family.

 

It’s a very manly sneeze.

 

Yuta coos, “Aw.”

 

Youngho says, “What a cute sneeze.”

 

Jaehyun smiles. “Adorable.”

 

Taeyong allows the boy to soak in some of the members’ compliments. A light blush dusts over Sicheng’s cheeks and nose, though Taeyong can’t be sure whether it’s a blush or ruddiness from the cold. Right, Sicheng’s cold.

 

“Here,” he says, taking off his white coat and hanging it over Sicheng’s shoulder. Yuta eagerly helps him zip it up and Sicheng drowns in the puffy fabric.

 

Taeyong finishes the look by pulling up the fur hood, then pulling it down to cover Sicheng’s eyes. The latter looks like a tall and fluffy chick. Taeyong stifles a laugh at the sight; it makes him quite proud to take care of his dongsaeng (as always), and the frosty wind seeping into his bones is a minor inconvenience.

 

“Is it still cold now?” Taeyong teases.

 

Sicheng shakes his head shyly. “Thanks, hyung.” He pauses. “But don’t _you_ think it’s cold now?”

 

“Give me a kiss and I’ll be hot enough to last for days.”

 

Sicheng giggles and waddles over. He bends down to kiss Taeyong on the tip of his nose.

 

“Better?”

 

“Better.”

 

He waits for Yuta to distract Sicheng before crossing his arms and allowing his teeth to chatter, just a little bit. Taeyong’s used to the cold weather, so really, he shouldn’t be feeling as if he's going to freeze to death. But it’s hard to remain nonchalant in a threadbare t-shirt and ripped skinny jeans. He silently admires Sicheng for his tough persona.

 

"Taeyongie," a disapproving voice cuts through his thoughts.

 

Taeyong doesn't bother to see who it is. “Call me hyung.”

 

There’s a sudden loud cough, making Taeyong glance up at other in concern. Jaehyun wordlessly pulls him into his jacket, and Taeyong subconsciously -- it's a habit, really -- presses back into him. Even though he should be protesting since this is bad for his image (“What image?” He can hear Dongyoung’s incredulous laughter in the background), he can only squawk indignantly.

 

Jaehyun waits for Taeyong to quiet down and comply. With the other’s smaller frame safely tucked in his arms, he buttons his coat back up.

 

Taeyong splutters, "What are you doing?"

 

"I'm cold, hyung," drawls Jaehyun, stretching out the word, ‘hyung.’ Taeyong knows he’s making fun of him. Damn Jaehyun and his cocky smirk and sexy drawl and hard chest.

 

“That doesn’t mean--”

 

Jaehyun puts a finger on his lips. "This way, you can share the warmth that Sicheng oh-so-graciously gave you."

 

If anyone comments on Taeyong's red face, he blames it on his allergies. Yes, he gets allergies in the middle of the fucking winter.

 

 

  1. Yuta



180522

The first and last time Taeyong ever kisses Yuta is purely for fan service and in front of the cameras. They’re doing an NCT Life in Vancouver, Mark’s hometown, but somehow, it’s Yuta who receives his third _Good Job_ sticker from Taeyong.

 

To be honest, Taeyong doesn’t keep count of how many _Good Job_ stickers he gives out. Apparently, according to the staff, it’s been three. He vaguely remembers promising to give Yuta a kiss on his third one.

 

Oh.

 

It feels like it’s been ages since then. (It's been less than a year.)

 

Despite it being almost two years since NCT 127’s debut, Taeyong will never get used to the bright flashes, the blinking red light that signals the camera is recording, and the staff’s bored expressions. He’s very aware of the exaggerated “ooooh”s coming from the others as they wait for Taeyong to kiss Yuta.

 

It’s not a big deal.

 

All Taeyong does is press his lips against Yuta’s cheek for a mere second, short and sweet. There’s nothing scandalous about it. Still, the members know what it means to be entertainers, so they make sounds of approval or disgust, and Yuta pretends to act embarrassed while Taeyong opts to hide his face in his hands.

 

It’s _really_ not a big deal.

 

It’s Jaehyun who pulls his hands away from his face. And it’s Jaehyun who sneakily entwines their fingers together so that they're holding hands underneath the table.

 

When Taeyong tugs his hand away, he tightens his grasp even more. Taeyong spares a quick glance towards him. Jaehyun refuses to look at him; his face remains pleasant for the cameras, a tight smile etched into his face. Something’s wrong.

 

Calmly, Taeyong runs the tip of his thumb in circles over the back of his hand. This is his way of telling him, _“I’m here.”_

 

He does this for the entire length of the broadcast. Jaehyun finally relaxes near the end, his smile becoming less forced and more genuine, but he never lets go of Taeyong's hand.

 

Nobody in their group mentions their skinship, neither does anybody from the camera crew, or later, even the people who edit their videos are mute.

 

Nobody but the fans sees this moment between them. The comment section is filled with overzealous comments and gay rainbows. On Twitter, the fans go even wilder; they post grainy screenshots titled,   _J_ _AEYONG HOLDING HANDS!_ The more outrageous ones are like,  _T_ _AEYONG GIVING JAEHYUN A HAND JOB?_

 

The hashtag, _JAEYONG IS REAL,_ trends worldwide.

 

However, nobody takes them seriously. After all, fangirls who ship idols together are simply delusional.

 

 

  1. Dongyoung



190515

“I’m back, babies!” Ten screeches at the doorway, a hand on his hip and a pair of designer sunglasses perched on his nose.

 

The members crowd around him, greeting him with open arms. Taeyong and Jaehyun happen to be one of the first ones to see him, and they pull Ten close with whispers of congratulations. Ten makes his way around each NCT member, hugging each of them for a longer time than what society might consider appropriate -- but it doesn’t matter because it’s _Ten._

 

Youngho lingers at the back, his eyes are bright but his arms hang nervously at the side. Ten twirls towards him, takes off his sunglasses in one fluid motion and waits with an expectant grin.

 

He stutters, “Welcome b-back, T-ten, and congratulations on w-winning that Thai Solo Artist award... That’s seriously a-amazing and it’s g-great to have you b-back and it feels like it’s been f-forever since--”

 

Ten launches himself onto Youngho, arms draping over his shoulders and hands successfully covering his mouth. “Shut up,” he giggles. “I know what you mean.”

 

They kiss and they make up. But without the kissing part.

 

Ten skips around the dorm in his socks, and it’s as if he’s never left. He leaves trails of his belongings everywhere, a habit that Taeyong half loves because it’s Ten, and half hates because it disrupts his sense of order. Souvenirs are given, then left on the kitchen counters and tables, newly bought shirts are taken out of the luggage and after showing them off, carelessly thrown onto the couches. Ten gives them Thai snacks, and some of the members are already stuffing their faces.

 

“It’s almost dinner time,” Taeyong says sternly. His eyebrow twitches as he watches Yuta feed Sicheng, and crumbs fall onto the floor that he had just vacuumed yesterday. “Eat the snacks another time.”

 

“Actually,” Ten brightens up, “I reserved us a room at the nearest bar. You know, to celebrate me receiving my award and NCT 127’s come back getting, like, five wins. Also, to like, relax for once.”

 

“We have minors,” Dongyoung helpfully supplies when Taeyong is at a loss for words.

 

“I’m nineteen,” Mark blurts out.

 

“I’m almost nineteen,” Donghyuck adds.

 

“Hush, you're both, like, twelve.” Dongyoung waves them off. Taeyong hums in approval. Sometimes, Dongyoung really does get him. It’s like they have some kind of bro telepathy going on.

 

“I didn't forget. Taeil-hyung offered to take them and the Dreamies out for Korean barbeque,” Ten explains.

 

Taeyong hesitates. “Do the Dreamies even know--”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Is Taeil-hyung really okay with us leaving him--”

 

“It was my idea,” Taeil cuts in.

 

“How are we going to get back without--”

 

“We’ll call some taxis when we’re done.”

 

“I don’t want Mark and Donghyuck to feel left out--”

 

“Taeyong-hyung,” Mark and Donghyuck reassure him -- albeit a bit bitterly -- in unison. "We're fine. You guys can go have fun. _Drinking._ "

 

And that’s how all the hyungs (minus Taeil) end up sitting in a private room, glasses filled with cheap soju.

 

They toast to their recent success,  (“Freaking finally,” Yuta moans, his eyes brimming with tears. “I love you, guys.”) to NCT, to Ten’s award, to Taeil who had bravely sacrificed himself, to kpop as a whole, to everybody who lives on the damn planet.

 

And that's how they end up drunk off their asses.

 

Taeyong had wanted to act like a mature adult and had planned to drink a minimum amount of soju. It's not his fault Dongyoung had pushed all the right buttons to goad him into a drinking contest.

 

“I win,” Dongyoung says in a drawn out sigh as he slams down his umpteenth glass. They lost count after a while.

 

Taeyong wipes his mouth and snorts, contempt oozing into his voice. “You wish.”

 

He settles his head down on the table, his face directly in front of an equally drunk Dongyoung. Out of the corner of his eye, Taeyong notes Youngho and Ten slipping out to go to the bathroom, Yuta lounging beside Sicheng, and Sicheng and Jaehyun slowly sipping a glass of soju.

 

It seems like both Dongyoung and he are the only ones stupid enough to get seriously drunk.

 

“Oi,” Yuta calls out. “Didn't you guys drink a pathetic amount of soju? Like half of a bottle each or something? Why are you acting so tipsy already?”

 

Or maybe they're just lightweights.

 

“Fuck off.” Dongyoung flips him the middle finger.

 

“Control your language in front of the children, dammit!”

 

“Yuta-hyung, Jaehyun and I are grown men already.”

 

“I know, I know. It's just that in my eyes, I can't help but see cute…”

 

Taeyong feels the weight of a heavy gaze on him, and his eyes flicker to Jaehyun. Jaehyun smiles back at him, letting his dimples appear in their full glory underneath his slightly flushed cheeks. Taeyong, in a moment of hazy logic, wonders what it would be like to pull Jaehyun closer by the nape, close enough so that he can see -- truly see -- the golden specks in his brown eyes. They'd be entangled that if they'd whispered, only the two of them and the wind would hear. Their breaths would mingle as one, and their lips would interlock. After -- if -- they'd separated, Taeyong would say, _"I'm here."_

 

Taeyong realizes that they already do all that. Well, except the kissing part.

 

Taeyong realizes he doesn't mind the idea of kissing Jaehyun. Maybe he'd like to kiss Jaehyun. Yes, he would. He has the sudden desire to kiss Jaehyun.

 

“Hyung. Hyung. _Taeyong-hyung!_ ”

 

Taeyong forces himself to look away. He’s suddenly hyper aware of the burning sense of shame coursing through his veins. He can't believe he put Jaehyun in that kind of situation, even if it was a fantasy. As his hyung, he shouldn't be having those thoughts.

 

“What?” he says plainly.

 

Dongyoung lifts his head up.

 

Their lips meet.

 

It lasts for a couple of seconds. They rip away from each other and just sit there, staring at each other in disbelief.

 

“No,” Taeyong says, wiping his mouth in disgust.

 

“No,” Dongyoung agrees with a grimace. “Sorry, that was in the moment kind of thing. You’re pretty, hyung, but you’re not my type. No offense or anything.”

 

“None taken.”

 

“Plus,” Dongyoung pulls himself up, “bros don’t do bros.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

A beat of silence.

 

“Fuck,” Dongyoung drags out. “Fuck, not only was that gross as fuck but Jaehyun's either going to be devastated or he's going to kill me.”

 

A hand clasps Dongyoung’s shoulder, and he jumps.

 

“Fuck,” he mumbles. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. Please don’t kill me.”

 

Jaehyun raises a delicate eyebrow and kindly loosens his grip. Dongyoung unceremoniously slumps over the table. He gives Taeyong a look of desperation and mouths, _“I’m fucked.”_

 

Jaehyun wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less Dongyoung. Still, if Taeyong can get away with gloating, he will. He smirks, a small twitch of his lips, and Dongyoung recognizes the sadistic look of glee.

 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Don’t patronize me, hyung.”

 

Jaehyun very _gently_ pushes Dongyoung to the side. Then he very _gently_ tucks an arm underneath Taeyong's bent legs. His other hand _gently_ supports the small of Taeyong's back as he lifts him up to carry him bridal style.

 

Taeyong bites his lips. Jaehyun's exceedingly gentle movements stop him from acting out rashly. Instead, with the same caring gentleness Jaehyun's using, he reaches out to wraps his hands around his neck. His hair barely tickles his fingertips.

 

"What are you doing, Jaehyunnie?"

 

"We're going home," Jaehyun replies in a whispered tone. Louder, he says, "Taeyongie and I are heading back early."

 

 

  1. Jaehyun POV



190515

Jaehyun doesn’t bother calling a taxi. They’re literally a few blocks away from home, and he doesn’t mind carrying Taeyong. The elder’s fairly light so it isn’t too much trouble.

 

He doesn’t know what prompted him to take matters into his own hands. Maybe it's because he’s finally have had enough of watching Taeyong kiss every. single. member but him. Sure, all the kisses so far have been platonic or laced with a 'no homo, bro' kind of mindset, but Jaehyun can’t help the monster called Jealousy from rearing its ugly head.

 

“You’re thinking too much,” Taeyong chides lightly, a hiccup makes its way through his sentence. “Stop thinking so much, Jaehyunnie.”

 

“Can’t help it,” Jaehyun mutters.

 

It’s hard not to think of Taeyong. Taeyong's stupid face. Taeyong's pretty eyes. Taeyong's pink lips. Taeyong's bubbly laugh. Taeyong's perfectly imperfect self.

 

Jaehyun swears on his precious Leonardo DiCaprio poster that he and Taeyong have had _moments_ where nothing else mattered except them and some gay ass rainbows. And yet, he also swears he’s the only one whom Taeyong hasn’t kissed yet.

 

A hand knocks against his head. “Tell me what you’re thinking then.”

 

Jaehyun reaches their dorm. He carelessly stumbles up the stairs and prays to God that Taeil and the others have already made it back. He rings the doorbell and waits.

 

“Jaehyunnie, tell me what--”

 

“Why won’t you kiss me?” he blurts out. He almost drops Taeyong in horror. “Shit. Wait, I didn’t mean that…”

 

“Do you want to?”

 

Jaehyun gapes. “What?”

 

“Do you want me to kiss you?”

 

His heart stutters to a full stop. He struggles to keep his composure; he’s afraid that Taeyong can feel his hot palms pressed against his back, afraid that he can hear his ragged breaths.

 

“A kiss on the cheek?” he asks. It’s dark, and he can scarcely see an outline of Taeyong’s face. He closes his eyes in anticipation anyway.

 

“Sure,” comes the quick reply.

 

His hopeful heart drowns, sinking to the bottom of his stomach. “That’s it?” he asks, without a second thought.

 

“I can kiss you on the cheek,” Taeyong continues cheekily, “or I can kiss you on the forehead. If you want, I can kiss you on the lips and we can have a full on making out session.”

 

He’s so cute, Jaehyun chokes. “Taeyong, what the fu--”

 

“Please say yes.”

 

Jaehyun takes another deep and ragged breath. He exhales. “Fuck, yes.”

 

“Language,” Taeyong admonishes with a breathless laugh.

 

Jaehyun doesn't have time think. When Taeyong kisses him -- on the lips! -- he isn't sure how to react. At first, his whole body stiffens and goes haywire, then slowly, as he gets used to the feeling, his muscles relax. Taeyong pulls him down by the neck and makes a small noise at the back of his throat. Something coils in Jaehyun's stomach. His response is to bite and pull until easily, Taeyong’s lips fall apart, allowing Jaehyun to slip his tongue into his mouth.

 

He tastes of _Lee Taeyong_ and soju.

 

He pulls away before he does something he will regret. “You’re drunk,” he says ruefully. “I can't take advantage of you like this.”

 

Taeyong rolls his head forward so that his hair tickles his cheek and his doe-like eyes pierce into him. Jaehyun stares back at him, patient, watching bits and pieces of raw emotion flit through Taeyong's eyes. He looks strangely vulnerable like this.

 

“Jaehyunnie, I like you,” his voice cracks. “I might be drunk, but it's because I'm drunk that I'm acting so bold.” His laughter has a tinge of craziness to it, and Jaehyun's heart tugs. “If anything, I'm the one taking advantage of you. God, I'm sorry. I should be acting like a dependable hyung, not like a needy bastard."

 

“Taeyong…”

 

“I know this is wrong, but fuck, I really like you. I'm sorry for putting you in this position. Please forgive me.”

 

Jaehyun hears a small sniffle. He can imagine Taeyong’s cherry pink cheeks stained with ugly tears. As Taeyong continues to cry, leaning into his chest, a drop of rain splatters onto Jaehyun’s forehead. He tilts his body forward to protect Taeyong from the rain and urgently rings the doorbell again.

 

“You're so emotional,” Jaehyun attempts to keep his voice light. He heaves Taeyong into his arms to secure his position. “I like you too, Taeyongie.”

 

The moment he bats his eyes, the rain crashes down into a waterfall, drenching everything but them. The light at the door flickers on and the doorknob starts to turn. With a hasty 'fuck it,' Taeyong clutches Jaehyun’s shirt and pulls him down.

 

They kiss.

 

“Well, that’s nice,” Taeil says at the doorway. He doesn’t look overly concerned. “Tell me when you guys want to come in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I really should edit this before publishing but this is crack, and who cares.) I should also probably just end this here but... I just have to finish it off with one more chapter, you know? Once again, I'm sorry.
> 
> (Can you guess that I'm Canadian?? #VancouverRepresent)
> 
> [My Tumblr ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)](http://glassykiss.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Is the introduction really necessary?" she asks herself.
> 
> "Probably not."
> 
> (And she doesn't bother getting rid of it.)
> 
> ((side note: I just realized how unnecessary this whole chapter is but I hope you enjoy it anyway!)

190925

"Hello, my beautiful viewers! It's Mikaela here, and today, I'm super pumped because I get to interview the newest Kpop sensation, NCT 127!"

 

Taeyong claps politely along with the rest of the members. They've reached the American dream, rising to Western stardom and all that, but honestly, he'd rather be getting at least a wink of sleep instead of attending their seventh interview of the day.

 

He resists the urge to calm himself by stroking the back of Jaehyun's neck. Ever since they have had their first kiss a few months ago and started (un)officially dating, they've been extra careful to keep their public displays of affection to a minimum. They’ve also tried hiding it from the members, but after Jisung of all people had found out, they've decided to flaunt their Love in the dorms, despite  _somebody's_ protests. ("Do you guys have no shame?" Dongyoung had screamed when he found them kissing in the kitchen. "All I wanted was some nutrients for my starved soul... and yet, here I am… and here you two are eating each other… What is life.”)

 

Instead, Taeyong has to resort to pinching himself awake as Mikaela continues to ask them the usual questions. She starts out with the success questions, 'How does it feel to have finally made it?' and moves on to the American™ questions, 'What's your favourite American food?' before finally taking a different route.

 

"I think I'm doing all the fans a favour here," Mikaela laughs so prettily that Taeyong has to wonder the authenticity behind it. "What's your ideal type? Let's start with the closest one to me, Jaehyun, right?"

 

Taeyong hates these kinds of questions. He wishes he could grab Jaehyun's hand and say he's his ideal type. He wishes Jaehyun could do the same.

 

"My ideal type..." Jaehyun trails off, an uncomfortable smile on his face, his dimples not quite showing. "I don't know about that..."

 

The interviewer pushes his shoulder playfully. "Come on, surely, you have the girl of your dreams in mind?"

 

There's the word:  _Girl_. As Yuta likes to say out of the blue in the middle of the night, heteronormativity is outdated. It’s too bad they can't say anything without getting attacked by the public.

 

"I--"

 

"Someone like me, right?" Mikaela bats her long eyelashes then giggles at Jaehyun's uneasy shrug. "I'm just messing with you, don't worry. Now come on, tell us!"

 

"I know, I was just going to say something," Jaehyun cuts in smoothly. He taps his index finger on his knee -- a nervous habit that Taeyong recognizes immediately.

 

He brushes his hand against him for a short moment. Jaehyun stops but doesn’t look at him. He takes a deep breath.

 

“My ideal type would probably be someone who appears cold, almost off-putting, I guess, but in reality, they'd be super cute.”

 

"In Japan, we call them tsunderes," explains Yuta, punctuating every syllable in the word 'tsundere.'

 

Mikaela blinks in surprise, and for once, Jaehyun smiles genuinely back at her. Taeyong can't help but let tendrils of doubt slip into his mind. His insecure ass is busy trying to tell if Jaehyun really does prefer dating a cute tsundere girl over him.

 

"And it’d be nice if they could cook so that we could have fun in the kitchen together. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind cooking every day for them. In fact, I'd love to prepare them breakfast in bed with flowers and that kind of stuff."

 

"How romantic," Mikaela exclaims.

 

Donghyuck's cough sounds suspiciously like Korean for, "Cheesy much?"

 

For some reason, Taeyong finds himself competing with Jaehyun's 'ideal' type. He experiences a brief sense of triumph since he can cook -- they like to bake strawberry cupcakes together, and if that isn’t couple goals then what is it? He also remembers the day Jaehyun had surprised him with waffles in bed along with rose petals laid out on the blankets. It was one of the sweetest birthday gifts he had received (other than the members leaving them alone for the rest of the day). So that ‘ideal’ and imaginary girl can go suck it because he's all Jaehyun needs.

 

God, Taeyong feels petty.

 

Jaehyun continues without a care in the world, “They’d be the strong and caring type--”

 

“Does that turn you on?” Mikaela suggests.

 

What kind of question is that?  _(You don’t understand American culture,_  a voice in his head scolds him.  _Mikaela’s just doing her job; don’t hate on her for no reason.)_

 

Jaehyun taps his finger on his knee again. “I can’t answer that?” He tilts his head. “But when I said that they’d be strong and caring, I also meant that I’d like to take care of them too -- especially when they’re tired. So it’s like a cute side that only I would see? If that makes sense.”

 

Yuta coughs, “A tsundere.”

 

Mikaela clearly wasn’t expecting this outcome. She nudges Jaehyun’s arm and leans over conspicuously, using her hand to cup over Jaehyun’s ear. Taeyong does  _not_ want to rip her hand off.

 

“You keep on describing personality,” she whispers loudly and glances at the camera with a wink. “How about looks-wise?”

 

Jaehyun bites his lips. There’s an awkward silence as he thinks with a troubled look on his face, and his fingers start to tap furiously on his knees in an uneven rhythm. The silence lasts a tad too long.

 

Taeyong would rather risk comforting Jaehyun than letting their manager reprimand him later on. He reaches out, hesitantly rubbing his fingertips over the nape of Jaehyun’s neck. Jaehyun jumps slightly at the touch and turns around. Taeyong doesn’t miss the way his gaze sweeps over him, like a man thirsting for water in the desert. He gulps, and he watches nervously as Jaehyun's eyes follow his Adam’s Apple’s movements before someone coughs -- why are so many people coughing? -- in the back. He turns back around, his fingers no longer tapping.

 

"Looks don't matter as much.”

 

Mikaela smiles crookedly. “True, but--”

 

“But if looks did matter,” he persists, “I’d be amazed by their beauty every time I see them, and their flaws would make them perfectly imperfect.”

 

He gestures somewhere, nowhere. "If looks did matter, they'd have legs that'd seem to go on for miles and small hips that'd fit my hands perfectly.”

 

Beside him, Mikaela reddens and pulls down her skirt, as if Jaehyun's talking about her.

 

"If looks did matter, they'd have soulful eyes that would showcase their whirl of emotions, and I would never get tired of getting lost in them. A glimpse of their collarbones would be tantalizing enough to drive me insane until I'd have no choice but to kiss them.”

 

Taeyong is briefly aware of his revealed collarbones, peeking out of his oversized hoodie. He surreptitiously tugs it back up; for some reason, he feels self-conscious and his lack of shirt underneath doesn't help to stop the feeling. Out of the corner of his eye, Taeyong notices Mark restlessly shift in his seat.

 

"But looks don't matter, and I'd be beyond happy to simply kiss their cherry lips in the rain, at night, and maybe we’d both be a little drunk,” Jaehyun finishes.

 

Taeyong inhales sharply. Well, that’s oddly specific. It was almost as if Jaehyun was describing… him. He desperately starts to fan himself, growing more and more flustered as his cheeks warm up at an unhealthy rate.

 

“Wow,” he says, as if the only reason why he’s blushing is that of Jaehyun’s scandalous in depth description of his ideal type and not that he realized it’s about him -- probably.

 

Jaehyun sneaks in the barest hint of a smirk towards him, along with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

 

Taeyong's 127 percent sure it’s about him.

 

“That’s oddly specific.” Mikaela raises an eyebrow.

 

She seems less like a threat now (she was never a threat), and Taeyong finds himself admiring her tenacity instead.

 

“Maybe try to be a little more… broad next time.”

 

They move on, the mood dragging down with them. Everyone does basic answers, and as much as Taeyong would love to reciprocate Jaehyun’s words, he’d rather get the interview over with and head back to their hotel. He hopes the members will understand that they shouldn’t bother them tonight -- not that he's  _implying_ anything.

 

Donghyuck struggles with his answer, “Someone who acts cute?”

 

 _Like Mark,_ Taeyong finishes for him. He casts a cursory glance at the former. He looks troubled by Donghyuck's comment, probably because he thinks Donghyuck's talking about a girl. Taeyong wonders how long they'll take to confess their undying love to each other. It pains him to see them cuddle so cutely then skirt around as if they're just friends. Ah, young love; it takes time. (It's not like Jaehyun and he took years too.)

 

They reach the last member.

 

“So,” drawls Mikaela, obviously losing interest, “Doyoung, do you have an ideal type?”

 

“Taeil-hyung. He has a nice voice and is very caring.”

 

Youngho snorts and punches Taeil’s leg with waggled eyebrows. Taeil beams nonchalantly, and the room’s atmosphere slowly brightens up. The fans love this kind of stuff; not romance but more like bromance (which is low-key gay but not outrageously gay).

 

“Oh my,” Mikaela fans herself, “I’m not sure you understood the question, honey, but that’s okay. Taeil’s a good man crush to have, I guess.”

 

Dongyoung grimaces without a word and Taeyong suddenly doesn’t like her again. Fuck her and her condescending attitude. Their English might not be perfect, but that doesn’t mean they can’t understand what she’s saying.

 

Mark, who's been mostly quiet since the beginning, speaks up, "Doyoung-hyung understood perfectly fine. I think it's you who doesn't understand."

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“I mean, you’re too c--” Taeyong and Yuta simultaneously slap their palms over Mark’s mouth. Taeyong isn’t sure what Mark was planning to say but it couldn’t have been anything nice, judging from his stony expression (and a serious Mark is not to be messed with).

 

The mood drops faster than the speed of someone jumping off a high cliff. Their manager looks half pissed and half proud at Mark’s passive aggressive intervention. His face is scrunched up in a scowl for appearance's sake, but Taeyong can see him giving them a thumbs up from underneath his jacket. The other staff members aren’t as amused and gesture wildly at Mikaela to wrap it up. It’s almost time for a break anyway.

 

“Never mind, you don’t have to answer that. I was having so much fun that I lost track of time,” Mikaela says with another smile. “We need to take a break right now. We’ll be back after the commercials.”

 

The cameras stop rolling, and Mikaela’s face turns sour. She doesn’t say anything. The high tension starts to suffocate the room as everyone looks around in their seats, all avoiding Mikaela’s gaze. Except, Taeyong can see Taeil having a silent conversation with Dongyoung, and Donghyuck’s outreached hand on Mark’s shoulder, easing his tension.

 

It’s still awkward though. (The whole interview has been a mess of awkwardness.)

 

They’re all undeniably relieved when a staff member decides to help them out. “You guys have about five minutes to get yourselves together. Feel free to grab some snacks at the table over there while you’re at it.”

 

Taeyong moves to leave, tugging a suspiciously happy Dongyoung behind him. Dongyoung shakes his hand off before sauntering away to join Taeil. Taeyong lets him go and glances back at Jaehyun. He almost does a double take when he sees Mikaela’s face instead. It looks like she can change facial expressions as if they’re masks; she morphs from being irritated to overly delighted.

 

"So, Jaehyun, you can tell me the truth." Taeyong hates her sultry tone. "Does she exist? Your oddly specific ideal type?"

 

"We're not allowed to date," Jaehyun says bluntly. “So, no,  _she_ doesn’t exist.”

 

"So, you're saying that you're single."

 

Jaehyun doesn’t reply.

 

Mikaela flips her raven locks over her shoulder in a rather sassy way and tilts her body to the side, giving her full attention to Jaehyun. Her yellow nails, adorned with sparkly rhinestones, nearly blinds Taeyong as he watches her place her fingers on Jaehyun's exposed knee.

 

Taeyong’s jaw falls open, and his mouth forms the words,  _"Oh, hell no."_

 

She remains oblivious to his glare, and her tanned legs cross over each other in a demure matter. In contrast, her eyes are fierce and bold, like those of a predator sneaking up on its prey.

 

"I find it ridiculous that someone as handsome as you, is a single Pringle like me." She takes her other hand to poke Jaehyun's cheek. Jaehyun recoils and politely pushes her hands off him. He’s not rude enough to her leave mid-conversation (and imagine the backlash they’d get if Mikaela ends up spreading bad rumours about them), but he seems bothered enough to ignore her come-ons.

 

“I said, we’re not allowed to date.”

 

“What about friends with benefits or that kind of thing?”

 

Taeyong is  _not_ ticked off. He does  _not_ feel like exploding anytime soon.

 

 _She’s a strong and independent woman,_ he chants, over and over,  _I admire her confidence. She is in truth, very sexy._ He pauses midway, thinking to himself.  _But her personality sucks and there’s no way Jaehyun is interested in her when he has my ass. After all, my ass is wonderful, thank you very much._

 

He did  _not_ just think that.

 

“Hello? Earth to Taeyong.” Youngho waves his hand over his face. “Man, you gotta stop acting so blatantly jealous”

 

Taeyong blinks out of his stupor. “Excuse me? I’m not obvious. Nor am I jealous.”

 

“Honey, you look like you’re ready to commit homicide any second now,” Youngho says drily. “Try finishing the rest of the interview without any more death glares.” He hands Taeyong two water bottles. “And dammit, drink up. You guys need to quench your thirst for each other.”

 

“But I’m not thirsty--”

 

“You were only in America for four years? Wow, your English is so good though. That’s impressive.” Just hearing Mikaela’s voice is enough to stop Taeyong in his tracks. He watches as Jaehyun shakes his head in disagreement, his hair swishing with his head movements, and all Taeyong wants to do is nuzzle his nose into his soft hair without Mikaela’s presence.

 

“Just drink the water.” Youngho laughs at him. With a bounce in his steps, he heads back to the snacks table.

 

Reluctant, Taeyong takes a sip from the water bottle. He keeps his eyes trained on Jaehyun and Mikaela, and narrows in when her hand starts to reach up, approaching the back of Jaehyun’s neck. That's  _his_ thing to do, how dare she. The plastic water bottle makes a crinkling noise in his tightening grip, and he tips back his head, eyes still on the pair as he chugs down the rest of the water.

 

Jaehyun looks  _so_ extremely uncomfortable, and Taeyong wants to save him but he  _knows_ that it’s a bad idea because their manager  _clearly_ stated to play it safe. Bad press could be the end of them.

 

He’s choking.

 

He coughs four or five times. He coughs again, and his knees fall to the ground. He keels over, chest wracked with even more raspy coughs. At his side, he's subconsciously aware of a hand tapping his back, the hand belonging to a blurry figure holding him close. He breathes in, and the world returns back to its normal state, kind of. Except he can’t believe he choked on water of all things.

 

“Are you okay?” Jaehyun asks gently, and Taeyong forgets all about Mikaela, the interview, everything. He closes his eyes, pressing his forehead against Jaehyun’s. He breathes in his scent, a mix of his signature Jo Malone cologne and  _Jaehyun_ and  _mine mine mine._

 

“I think so,” he says in a gravelly voice, and he winces. “You know, besides the fact that I almost died.”

 

“Well, you  _are_ very clumsy.”

 

Jaehyun tucks a piece of his hair behind his ear. Taeyong sticks his tongue at him, enjoying Jaehyun’s returning smile and crinkled eyes. They're in their own little world until Taeyong hears Mikaela’s chirpy voice in the background. He scowls. “Also, Mikaela’s rubbing her hands all over you.”

 

“It’ll be over soon,” Jaehyun says apologetically.

 

“But she shouldn’t be touching you in the first place,” Taeyong whines. He’s careful to keep his voice low. He cups his hand over Jaehyun's ear like Mikaela had, hiding the sliver of his tongue that skims over Jaehyun's neck. “You’re  _mine._ ” Jaehyun shivers in his arms.

 

“And you’re also  _mine,_ ” Jaehyun growls under his breath. He pulls away in a snap. “I’ll take you to the bathroom since you’re still not feeling well,” he says out loud.

 

Their manager crosses his arms and raises a skeptical eyebrow. “You’d have to hurry. We have around two minutes before the cameras start rolling again.”

 

From their crouched positions, Jaehyun pulls him up by the arm. He’s dragged out of the room, passing by Sicheng’s innocent stare, Donghyuck and Mark’s incredulous looks, Yuta’s tongue wriggling in between his index and middle finger (it’s not like Taeyong or Jaehyun has the proper anatomy to do that), Dongyoung’s smallest of hip thrusts, Taeil’s weirdly pleased smile, and Youngho’s head shaking in exasperation.

 

“This isn’t what I meant when I said to quench your thirst,” he says.

 

Taeyong shrugs, unconcerned. “Sorry?”

 

He knows that kissing in a public bathroom never ends well. Too bad Taeyong is out of his mind and in a desperate need to unleash his desires on an unfortunate soul. The unfortunate soul happens to be Jung Jaehyun.

 

As soon as Jaehyun manages to find the bathroom (the whole building is an endless maze of empty halls), Taeyong doesn't bother waiting any longer. He pulls him down for a kiss. No one's inside to disturb them, thank God, and their only company is a backdrop of black and white, white and black. White tiles, black doors, white walls, black counters, white sinks, black taps, and black eyes contrasting against white skin.

 

Taeyong leans away for a moment, admiring Jaehyun's hooded eyes, darkened by desire. He doesn't particuliary care about one's skin tone, but he finds everything beautiful about Jaehyun, including his pale appearance.

 

Jaehyun makes a small noise in the back of his throat, a guttural and raw sound. He flips their positions so that Taeyong's back against the white wall, and leans in for another kiss.

 

"This," Taeyong says, breathless as Jaehyun kisses him again, "can't be sanitary." Taeyong should be freaking out; bathrooms are nasty. And Taeyong is freaking out; he's freaking over Jaehyun's lips.

 

"Probably not," Jaehyun laughs. He holds Taeyong's hips in a firm grip, his palms hot through the jean's fabric. Taeyong sucks in a breath when he moves down, pressing kisses against his jaw and pulling down Taeyong's hoodie to suck on his collarbone.

 

Taeyong closes his eyes and wraps his hands around Jaehyun's neck, making the most of the pampering. Suddenly, a thought enters his mind and refuses to leave.

 

"Hey, Jaehyunnie," he breathes out, gently tugging Jaehyun's hair to get his attention. Jaehyun stops and focuses on him.

 

He remains quiet, his head tilted in a query.  Taeyong falters when he meets his gaze, words disappearing from his lips and mind. He adores the golden specks swimming in Jaehyun's dark eyes, adores the way his eyelashes flutter and cast web-like shadows on his cheeks.

 

"I--" he starts. He pauses. "Am I your ideal type?" He gestures down at the hands on his hips, the red marks at his collarbones and the leg in between his legs.

 

The question sounds stupid out loud.

 

"Obviously not," Jaehyun says seriously. "It's not like I perfectly described you during the interview. If you must know, my ideal type is Dobby."

 

Taeyong blinks.

 

"I love you?" Jaehyun tries, cracking a dimpled smile.

 

Taeyong blinks again. "Sorry, I didn't hear you. Can you repeat that?"

 

"I love you." A kiss on the forehead. "I love you. I love you." A kiss on each cheek. "I love you." A kiss on the tip of his nose. "And I love you, Lee Taeyong." A final kiss on the lips.

 

Taeyong giggles, feeling high off kisses. “I love you too.”

 

And they're in their own little world again. Without another word, they resume; they find their hands underneath shirts (or in Taeyong's case, lack of shirt underneath his hoodie), roaming across hard chests and smooth skin, brushing against belt buckles until they're both yearning for more.

 

"We don't have time," Taeyong says, even as he bucks against Jaehyun's leg.

 

Jaehyun presses on.

 

With a bang, the door slams open. Jaehyun jumps away. He breathes in shakily, combing his hair and hiding the person's view from Taeyong. The latter hurriedly fixes up his hoodie and wipes his lips. Anxiously, they watch the doorway.

 

There’s nothing except a middle finger popping out from the side.

 

"Come back already, you hormonal sons of bitches," Dongyoung calls out, waving his middle finger from side to side. “Your two minutes are up.”

 

The door slams shut.

 

They wait for the sounds of footsteps to fade away before bursting out in laughter.

 

"Oh my God," Taeyong sighs in relief. "That scared the hell out of me."

 

He straightens up, running a frantic hand through his hair until it's presentable (kind of), and turns around to fix Jaehyun's collared shirt. The younger tries to kiss him again and Taeyong pushes him away with an exasperated sigh.

 

"Check the time, idiot," he mutters fondly. "How much time do we have left?"

 

Jaehyun checks his phone, then hisses in surprise.

 

"We have to go,  _now_!"

 

Taeyong sucks in a breath, startled, as Jaehyun grabs his wrist and runs out. They run down the endless halls, Jaehyun leading them left and right (why is the building so damn big?) until finally, they arrive at the interview room.

 

Taeyong checks his phone. They've just made it on time. (Really, two minutes is not enough time for a make out session.)

 

The members are already back in their seats, along with Mikaela. The camera crew are ready too. On the other side of the room, their manager stares at them with a raised eyebrow and a look that says,  _I told you that you’d have to hurry up._

 

Embarrassed, Taeyong uses Jaehyun's height to his advantage and hides behind his shoulder as they walk towards their respective seats.

 

"You guys look absolutely wrecked," Youngho whispers when they pass by. "Fix yourselves up more."

 

Taeyong gulps nervously. He balances back on his heels, accessing Jaehyun's appearance. He guesses that since he looks like a dishevelled mess, he probably looks the same. Jaehyun sits down, looks at him then coughs, eyes pointing at his collarbones.

 

_Shit._

 

Taeyong rushes to pull up the neck of his hoodie, hopefully hiding the red marks. He looks back at Jaehyun, then clears his throat, willing their boyfriend telepathy to work.

 

_Your lips._

 

Jaehyun wipes the pink stains at his lips as quickly as possible.

 

"Okay..." Mikaela says slowly. Her eyes dart away from them, then back at them, and Taeyong realizes she probably saw their entire exchange.

 

He’s feeling oddly vindictive today.

 

He clasps a hand behind Jaehyun’s neck to pull him in, close enough to nuzzle his nose in his hair. Over his shoulder, Mikaela looks even more befuddled, and Taeyong can’t help but use his spare hand to cover his mouth from the staffs’ view, only letting Mikaela see him say,

 

“ _He’s mine, bitch."_

 

Behind them, Dongyoung’s watching, and he nearly falls off his seat in laughter.

 

Mikaela stares at him with her pretty green eyes, confused.

 

“Cameras rolling on three, two, one...”

 

Her jaw falls wide open as realization dawns on her. She sits back, flustered, and mutters a small, “ _Oh._ ”

 

“And you’re on!”

 

Taeyong gives her a cocky smirk. He misses the way Jaehyun preens on himself for having such a cute yet fierce boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Don't worry. Later, Taeyong apologizes and Mikaela fully supports their relationship. And they lived happily ever after. The End.)
> 
> Comments and kudos much appreciated and yada, yada~
> 
> (Also, who else is super pumped for NCT Dream's comeback?! I just want to see Naaaaa JAeMinnnn again TT)

**Author's Note:**

> (I really should edit this before publishing but this is crack, and who cares.) I should also probably just end this here but... I just have to finish it off with one more chapter, you know? Once again, I'm sorry.
> 
> (Can you guess that I'm Canadian?? #VancouverRepresent)
> 
> [My Tumblr ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)](http://jazzyjaemin.tumblr.com/)


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